These men had charge of the day-to-day operations; selectmen were important in legislating policies central to a community's police force, highway supervisors, poundkeepers, field drivers, and other officials.
However, the larger towns grew, the more power would be distributed among other elected boards, such as fire wardens and police departments.
The advent of tarred roads and automobile traffic led to a need for full-time highway maintainers and plowmen, leaving selectmen to serve as Supervisors of Streets and Ways.
The basic function consists of calling town meetings, proposing budgets to the town meeting, setting public policy, calling elections, licensing, setting certain fees, overseeing certain volunteer and appointed bodies, and creating basic regulations.
[9] A rare use of the term outside New England is in Georgetown, Colorado, where the town governing body is called the Board of Selectmen.
Historically, the first selectman was the one who received the largest number of votes during municipal elections or at a town meeting.
[12] In Connecticut, the first selectman is the chief executive and administrative officer of most towns with the Selectmen-Town Meeting form of government.